Legacy: Equestria's New Sages
by superpika293
Summary: 1000 years after the death of Star Swirl the bearded, the remaining five sages begin to fear their time is coming to an end. They each go out in search of their successors. Their legacies.
1. Prologue

The Six Sages…

Guardians of Equestria and masters of all magics. They have existed for millennia and have kept order for those millennia.

They were the beings responsible for the creation of the Elements of Harmony. They have kept many secrets hidden from those who would misuse them.

Star Swirl the Bearded; he is the most well-known of the sages. He is the wizard, master of everyday magic and basic battle magic. He created the element of Magic and was the first to become a sage. His powerful Wind Magic made him always ready to defend himself. He was a major figure to all unicorns. Alas he was also the only sage to have died. But, he did not die without first asking his student, Celestia, to search for his replacement should he ever die.

Fay the Magnificent; she was the youngest of them. She is the witch, mistress over all magic limited by imagination. In battle, not only could she hold her own, but she could also turn the fight into a performance you only witness once in your life. Her magic was spectacular, turning her spellcasting into stage shows. She created the element of laughter, using her magi to bring joy, even in the darkest times. She was a unicorn who was at home in the ocean, bringing the fury of the sea into every fight.

Garrick the General; he was the only non-equine of the sages. Hailing from the Basitin Isles, in the middle of the ocean, he was banished for using magic, which was a sign of weakness in their culture. He was banished and forced to leave his family behind, but he became bitter as a result. He is the alchemist, able to turn worthless scraps into gold. He walks on his cane, due to an old injury in his left leg. The can has a Philosophers Stone imbedded in the grip and also conceals a sword. He is the best combat fighter of them and can best even the most skilled swordsmen empty handed. He created the element of loyalty, for he still follows the laws he grew up with. His temper is hotter than the fire he produces in battle.

Ororo the Shaman; her potion making skills were rivaled by none. She was a zebra who was a normal potion brewer before she discovered the lost magic known as Voodoo. She is the witch doctor, using her magic to grant her allies abilities or controlling her enemy's movements as if they were puppets. She is always either creating new potions to test or gathering herbs and other medicinal ingredients. She crafted the element of generosity, because her magic is used to help others. She also uses earth and nature magic while fighting. She has an interesting way of speaking, sometimes talking in rhymes or riddles.

Necro Shade the lich; he was undead before he even became a sage. He was 109 years old when he performed the spell that changed him into a lich, binding his soul to an object that he then hid away in a place where it would never be found. He is an odd earth pony, cracking jokes and singing while he's digging up bodies or performing experiments. He also the tallest; he stands taller than Celestia even when kneeling. He is the necromancer, the master of raising the dead and all other dark magic. He created the element of honesty, because as he says, the dead never tell lies. His magic revolves around the element of darkness, striking fear into the hearts of his enemies.

Sakura the Caring; she was the last to become a sage. She was respected for her peaceful nature and love of children. Being a Pegasus who could use magic, she was used to being looked at funny but she was never bothered by it. She is the cleric, a master of healing magic and shielding her enemies from attacks. She could also use her aura to negate feelings of rage and fear in others. She forged the element of kindness, showing how much she cared for the world around her. She controls Light Magic, the kind of magic used only by the purest of souls.

These are the Six Sages. They're the guardians of Equestria and creators of the Elements of Harmony. But as all great figures do, they had to fall eventually. Our story begins at this moment, when the remaining sages realized they would not last forever. Although they had lived for hundreds of centuries, they could not live forever. Death would claim them eventually. So, they decided to find heirs. They went to find their legacies.


	2. Chapter One: The Wizard

Where is she? This is something I can't screw up on. I can't disappoint them, not after all they've done for me.

"Princess Celestia!"

They're here, I was getting worried.

"Hello girls, thank you for coming."

"Why did you call us here? It must be very important."

"Yes, this is important. Girls, I have received a letter from my old teachers."

"Pardon me princess, but did ya'll jus' say tea_chers_? You had more than one?"

"These weren't just my teachers, they were the sages. The sages are a group of six magic wielders that were led by Star Swirl the Bearded before he, passed on."

"So what did the letter say, if you don't mind us being nosy."

"The letter said that they're coming to look for their successors. They need to find ponies that will carry on their roles as sages."

"Ooh ooh ooh! Does that mean I get to throw them all a party!?"

"I'm sorry Pinkie but this is serious. I need you girls to assist each of them when they come to look for their successor."

"But princess Celestia, what about Star Swirl. If he died, then who's his successor?"

There it was. The question I wasn't sure I wanted to answer. But I had to, there's no choice in the matter.

"Well, in truth, he asked me to look for his heir. He said to look for a unicorn with extraordinary magical abilities. When I took you on as my student, at first it was so I could teach you how to control your powers better, but as time went on, I noticed you seemed to be learning magic at a faster rate than an average unicorn should be able to. But when you became the bearer of the element of magic, I was certain that you were his successor. Twilight Sparkle, I believe Star Swirl wanted you to be his successor."

"W-wha-what!? M-me succeeding Star Swirl? Th-that can't be right. I'm not th-that good at m-magic."

"Twi, yur' the ELEMENT of magic. Yur special talent is magic. There ain't nopony better qualified than you."

"_She's right, you know._"

The voice seemed to come from all around the room. It was deep and had a touch of wisdom in the way it sounded.

"Alright, who's there? Come out so I can clobber you."

"_Weren't you ever taught to respect your elders, especially the dead ones?_"

Rainbow's body was suddenly covered in a royal blue energy and was forced to the ground. When she got up and tried to get air born again, she found her wings weren't there anymore.

"What the? Where are my wings? Alright, better come out now before I have to find you."

"Alright, alright. I was only joking around. I can't have even a little fun after being dead for so long?"

An ancient unicorn with a long, grey beard appeared next Celestia. He wore a long, star designed cape and wore an unmistakable matching wizard hat with bells circling the outside. It was him.

"Star Swirl? But your- your…"

"Dead? Yes that is true, but I saw this day coming and cast a spell so that when it came, I would return from the dead so I could teach my successor. But from what I can tell, there's not much left to teach."

"Master, I never thought that you were capable of such spells."

"Well, I never did teach you _everything_ I knew. Now I don't mean to be rude but can I get something to eat? I haven't eaten in one thousand years."

"Umm, hello? Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Hmm? Oh right, your wings. I'm sorry, I got a little ahead of myself."

With a snap of his fingers, Rainbow's wings returned to their rightful place.

"Okay, now can we get something to eat?"

Twilight had always dreamed of being able to meet the great Star Swirl the bearded, but she had never imagined it would come true. Nor had she ever imagined that he'd be able to beat Pinkie Pie in a cupcake eating contest. In fact, that was something she never even believed to be possible until it actually happened.

"Haha, twenty-eight cupcakes! You said I couldn't do it. Eat it!"

"I can't, you ate them all…"

"Ah never would'a believed somepony would be able ta' beat Pinkie Pie at eating cupcakes."

"I'm still not sure I even believe it happened."

"What's even more amazing is that she was beaten by an ancient wizard who had supposedly died 1000 years ago."

"Well, now that I've eaten, I think it's time I should explain what's going on so you can prepare."

"Prepare for what exactly?"

"The rest of the sages. I'm the Wizard, the sage of wind, and the creator of the element of magic. The other sages are the Alchemist, the Witch, the Cleric, the Witch Doctor, and the Necromancer. They're all coming here to find their successor. I'll set up a temporary home outside of town so I can tell you ahead of time when one of them is coming."

"So is that it? Is that all we need to know right now?

"Yes it is, but Twilight…"

"What is it sir?"

"There's a field right outside town correct? I want you to meet me there first thing tomorrow morning so I can begin teaching you."

"Yes sir!"

"Star Swirl is fine. Now go have fun Twilight, despite what you might think, magic isn't about knowing what's going to happen, it's about having fun. Although I once blew off the roof of my tower that way, but trial and error is all part of magic."

"Thanks, um, Star Swirl."

That mare, she's so young and she's already almost as powerful as me in magic. She will make a great sage. I just hope she believes in herself enough to deal with the danger that's coming up in only two years. May Shen Long* have mercy on us if she's not ready when the time comes.

*A Chinese dragon of the weather. I refer to him as the king of all dragons and the father of the first magical ponies(unicorns/pegusi/alicorns). He is basically the equestrian equivalent of God.

I wonder why Star Swirl wanted me to come all the way out here to practice magic. Why couldn't we have just practiced in my library? I must be early because I don't see him anywhere.

"Ah, there you are Twilight, right on time."

"Huh, wait, are you using an invisibility spell?"

"Not even close. Look up Twilight."

"What do you mean by look up?"

I couldn't believe my eyes. Although I've heard of unicorns using their magic to float, Pumpkin Cake who's only one can do it, but even then you can see the magical aura surrounding them. However, I could clearly see Star Swirl was NOT surrounded by a magical aura and was indeed floating.

"Surprised? Well don't be. This is your first lesson. This is an ancient magic that was used by the ancient dragons called _Flyte_. Using this magic, you can easily fly through the air as if you were born to do it."

As he continued speaking, he slowly floated back onto the ground. I felt a breeze as his hooves touched the ground.

"In reality, you're not actually floating with magic, but actually using your magic to create a cushion of air underneath your body to support yourself. First, we'll just practice trying to use to make other objects float. I've brought a few objects for you to practice with. Once you've mastered making other objects float, then we'll try for self levitation."

He pointed down the hill towards a group of objects lined up next to each other. They were all so unrelated, maybe he just borrowed them Pinkie Pie. He had a beach ball, a sword, a bird bath, a wagon, an un-labeled headstone, and a marionette. Where'd he get the headstone from?

"I would suggest starting with the beach ball first. Seeing as it's full of air already, it would be perfect for practice."

"Umm, okay."

I did what I normally do to prepare for a spell. I placed my hooves apart, placed my hands in front of me, and began concentrating.

"No, no, no, that's not how to do it."

"What do you mean? This is how I normally prepare for practicing magic."

"Yes, but this isn't the kind of magic you're used to. Air magic is wild and free, you can't force yourself to do it. You have to first relax and then imagine the air inside that ball spinning, like there was a tornado happening inside of it."

Although I didn't quite understand him, I did as I was told. I took a slow, deep breath to relax and then imagined the air inside the ball spinning. I didn't feel myself using any magic, but suddenly the ball began shaking. It was shaking so violently and then it burst revealing a sphere of spinning air.

"Well done Twilight. You've mastered the first step of _Flyte_. Next step, I want you to focus on the marionette, try to use the air to make it dance."

"Why do I need to make it dance?"

"You don't, but I thought you might like a challenge."

"I can make it dance, just watch."

I did what I did before. I relaxed myself and focused on the marionette, only this time, I imagined the air working its body. This was a lot more complicated than the ball. But after a few minutes, the puppet's body began to twitch. Eventually the puppet was doing a demented version of the chicken dance.

"You're learning fast Twilight, but we still need to practice levitating other objects. Let's try the sword, it's much smaller and will therefore be much harder to successfully create a cushion of air under it."

After many hours of failing and succeeding to levitate the different objects, I had managed to get the hang of it. I could use the wind to levitate objects as easily as if I was using telekinesis.

"Well Twilight, we have about one more hour before I'll call it a day. So, do you think you're ready to try floating yet?"

"Yes. I know I can do this."

"Alright then, sit down on the ground and close your eyes. Now relax, and then create a cushion of air underneath your body. When that's done imagine yourself rising higher and higher."

I did as I was told and felt myself lift farther off the ground. I began day dreaming but I was pulled back to reality by Star Swirl's shouting.

"Excellent! Open your eyes Twilight! Look, you've successfully performed your first _Flyte_."

I opened my eyes and looked down. Sure enough I was floating about ten feet above the ground. It was amazing, I just wanted to soar up into the sky. I felt so free. I began flying around in figure eights just to get my fill of the feeling.

"This is so much fun!"

"Okay, you can come down now Twilight. There's no need to overdo it. I don't think Celestia would be very happy if you injured yourself during your first lesson."

He was right. I was now beginning to feel how tired I actually was. I allowed myself to slowly lower to the ground. Now that I think about it, I'm also really hungry.

"Great job, you've already managed to learn a magic very few can master in one day. You're going to be a great wizard. But for now, go home and rest, tomorrow you'll have a chance to show your friends your new ability. I still need to set up my temporary house and here seems as good of a place as any. Don't you think?"

"Yes I do. I guess I'll see you later. Have a good night!"

"You have good night too, Twilight Sparkle."

I waited until she was out of my sight before I turned around to begin setting up my temporary house. It's amazing how fast she learned how to use _Flyte_. It took me a week to learn it. That filly is really something. Then again, she is bearer of the element of magic, the element I created myself.

As I began getting lost in thought, I was startled by the scent of deathcap mushrooms. It was faint but it was there. He's already coming? Of the other five, he was the one who came first? Oh dear, we might have quite a problem here. From what I can tell, he's about three days of walking away.

I was showing my friends my newest power when I saw Star Swirl running towards us. It almost looked like he was scared of something. What could have happened? Rarity was the first to ask what was wrong.

"Star Swirl, what's wrong? It looks like you've seen a ghost."

"I was -pant- wrong. I thought he was three days away, but we might have at the most, forty-five minutes before he gets here. I forgot he travels faster during the night."

"Until who gets here? Is he some villain who wants you dead?"

"No, but if there was one, I'm sure they're already dead. He doesn't like assassins at all."

"Star Swirl, who is coming?"

"The Necromancer. The sage of darkness and creator of the element of honesty."

"Hey guys, does any pony else smell _amanita phalloides_?"

"Pinkie, what the hay is that?"

"Silly Applejack, that's the scientific name for death cap mushrooms."

Applejack was about to further question Pinkie, but was interrupted by screaming and slamming doors. That's when they saw him. The Necromancer.

"He's here…"

"Star Swirl, who is that?"

"The Necromancer. Necro Shade the Lich."

"HELLO PONYVILLE! Weird, I could have sworn there were ponies living here. It's like a ghost town. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!"

To be continued…


	3. Chapter Two: The Necromancer

I was amazed just by how he looked. He had no mane and his sclera were black with golden irises. He was tall and skinny, like some pony had stretched him until he was over eight feet tall. His teeth were sharpened to points and his finger nails were almost claws. He wore a pitch black robe and was carrying something on his. When he pulled it off his back, I learned what it was. It was a dark oak coffin with intricate designs carved onto the lid. He spoke as if his throat had dried out long ago.

"Star Swirl, I thought you were dead! Well, I've been dead but that's beside the point. Hahahahahahaaaa!"

"Hello Necro Shade, long time no see. I don't remember that coffin, is it new."

"It is, I'm so glad you noticed. I would have been here sooner, but, I stopped at the town graveyard to pick up a, how should I put it, new experiment subject. It's so much easier when there isn't any pony guarding the cemetery."

Even though like my friends, I was terrified, I couldn't help but question that last statement.

"Wait. Did you dig up some pony's grave and then take the body!? That's horrible. How could you do something like that?"

After I said that, I immediately began to regret it. He leaned down really close to my face, close enough that I could smell his breath. It smelled like old food.

"Don't lecture me on common decency girl. I'm 3500 years old and work with dead bodies. I'm also mentally insane. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAaaaa. So, anything else you'd like to lecture me on? No? Good, cuz I'm starving. I may be dead, but I still have to eat. Preferably something with sugar, shadow jumping takes a lot out of you."

"OOH OOH OOH! You could come to Sugar Cube Corner. We have all kinds of things there. Muffins, cupcakes, pies, cookies, cakes, and even strudels."

"I'm beginning to like this pony. I don't she's actually afraid of the fact that this coffin has a body in it."

"Who's body? Is it someone I'd know?"

"Probably not. The headstone was fairly new, but it had been struck by lightning. The body is only a few months old. Fact, smell proofing this coffin was the best investment I've ever made."

"So Necro, where will you be staying?"

"I found an abandoned house outside of town that I reconstructed with my magic. I'll be staying there."

He snaps his fingers and the coffin disappears from sight.

"Where'd the coffin go?"

"It went to my house. Now, what kind of cupcakes do they make?"

* * *

Sorry to interrupt but just so there's no confusion, I'll now have a way for you to tell who's thinking. When a character's name appears as so - (Pinkie Pie) – that shows who's thinking. The name will appear as the first word in the paragraph. Once again, sorry.

* * *

"So, Pinkie was it, I must say these cupcakes are delicious. Quite filling too."

"Thanks! Your name is Necro Shade right?"

"That's correct."

"If you don't mind me asking, why is it that, just before you came, the air smelled like _amanita phalloides_?"

"Death cap mushrooms? That's the scent of my aura. Every living creature has an aura. Most creatures can tap into their aura to produce fantastic abilities. That is what we have come to know as magic. As you can see, I'm an earth pony, but I can still use magic because I've learned how to use my aura. I can also smell other creature's auras, even yours."

"Cool! I'll talk more later, I still have work to do. Bye!"

(Necro Shade) I might be a little bit more crazy than usual. I sensed a very dark presence in her aura. Maybe there's more to this pony than I thought. I'm getting ahead of myself. My successor isn't just going to walk up to me and say hi.

(Pinkie Pie) He got up and walked out the door without a single word. Although I know that I have a place here, I wonder if he'd understand if I told him about... her.

(Pinkamena) Are you nuts!? He wouldn't believe you. You're just a normal pony.

(Pinkie Pie) SHUT UP! Why did I have to be cursed to have this psycho living in my mind? I have to speak with him. Maybe he could help me.

* * *

*knock knock knock*

(Necro Shade) I was just about to send a lightning storms worth of electricity into the corpse when I heard some pony knocking. Who could it be at this hour?

*knock knock knock*

"I'm coming! I'm coming! Geez, impatient are we?"

(Necro Shade) I was almost expecting it to be Star Swirl, but I was surprised to find that pink pony. She looked nervous.

"Necro Shade was it?"

"Yes, that is I."

"I sort of wanted to talk to you about something. I thought you might be able to help. Do you mind if I come in?"

(Necro Shade) That was a first. Nobody has EVER asked to come into my house. They've always either been invited or barged in. Whatever she had to say, it had to be important.

"Of course! Come in, come in. Welcome to my humble abode."

"Wow, I didn't expect it to be this nice."

"That's understandable. I've only been in this house a few hours, I've lived in my tower for over 3000 years. So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well, it's sort of hard to explain."

"Try me."

"I sort of have a separate pony living in my head. Her name is Pinkamena and she's really crazy. I think she wants to turn my friends into cupcakes?"

"Hmm, a separate personality. When did Pinkamena first surface?"

"Actually she appeared only a couple years ago, when I got my element of harmony."

"What element are you?"

"The element of laughter, why?"

"Well, my theory is that the element's power might have accidentally created Pinkamena from an already existing power."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I have an idea. We're taking a little trip."

"Where are we going?"

"Ghoul hunting."

* * *

(Necro Shade) She has been unusually quiet since we began the trip. Maybe this was a bad idea.

"Hey Necro Shade, what exactly is a ghoul?"

"What an excellent question. A ghoul is an undead creature that's basically a cross between a ghost and a zombie. They were first created by, umm, one of my first failed spells, in the middle of a burial ground. Anyway, a ghoul is created when a necromancery spell fails. Ghouls aren't very dangerous, they can only scratch or punch you. The only true weapon they have is terror."

"So why did we decide to go ghoul hunting then?"

"Shh. Do you hear that?"

(Pinkie Pie) Sure enough, there was a sound. It sounded like wailing but it also sounded like... singing.

"Oh, there's an empty place in my bones, that calls out for something unknown..."

"What is it doing?"

"Ghouls are odd creatures. Seeing as they're created from failed magic, they tend to never be quite there. Most are very insane."

"So what are we going to do?"

"We're going to test a theory. I need you to walk out there and try to get its attention. If my theory is correct than it should stop half way through attacking you. It shouldn't even get close to you if I'm right."

"What happens if your theory is wrong?"

"Then I'll show myself and destroy it."

"Okay, I guess?"

(Pinkie Pie) My grandmother always told me to giggle at the ghosties, but this ghostie wasn't something I was used to. I walked out into the open shaking like a plate of jello. It was even scarier up close.

"H-hey you s-stupid g-ghost thing. I-I think y-your music stinks!"

(Pinkamena) Why did you think this was a good idea?

(Pinkie Pie) I thought for sure it was going to attack me, but when I opened my eyes, it was floating about 3 feet from me. It's eyes(well eye) were wide and it looked confused. After a few seconds, it turned around and floated away. I began to hear its singing again after a few more seconds.

"What just happened?"

"I was right, that's what happened. Ghouls will never attack a creature who is able to use necromancery. Although they were accidental, ghouls are my best creations ever!"

"What are you saying?"

"Pinkie Pie, I'm saying you're going to be the next sage of darkness. The next Necromancer."

(Pinkie Pie) He seemed excited, but I was just trying to process what he said. I'm going to be the next necromancer? I'm not sure if I'm okay with this.

(Pinkamena) I'm quite satisfied with this. I think you should agree. Imagine how much fun it will be. PLUS, if your friends die, you can just bring them back. It's a win win situation.

"Okay, so I'm going to be the next necromancer. What do we do now?"

"..."

(Pinkie Pie) Did I say something wrong?

"I'll tell you what we can do. We're gonna head to the graveyard..."

(Pinkie Pie) I was surprised when he pulled out two shovels and handed one to me. Why did we need to go to the graveyard?"

"We're going to dig up a body and perform your first necromancery experiment!"

(Pinkie Pie) Is it weird that I think that sounds fun?

(Pinkamena) I think it's weird that we actually agree on something.

* * *

(Twilight) It was an ordinary morning that day. I decided to go visit Pinkie Pie at SugarCube Corner before I had to go meet Star Swirl. When I opened the door, I was greeted by worried looking Mrs. Cake.

"Twilight, have you seen Pinkie anywhere? When she wasn't down here, we went to check on her to see if she might have gotten sick, but she was gone."

"No, I'm sorry. Where could she have gone?"

(Twilight) I would have thought a bit more if I wasn't interrupted by screaming. I turned around expecting to see the Necromancer again, but instead, I saw him and Pinkie Pie. Except Pinkie Pie was riding on the shoulder of something that looked like it had walked out of the story, Frankenpony.

"Hi Twilight! Guess what? I'm gonna be a sage just like you! Oh yeah, and this really big guy's name is Mammoth. I made him myself, well, with a little help from Necro Shade too."

"I only helped bring him to life. You did everything else yourself."

"P-Pinkie, h-how are you a-a n-ne-nec-n-"

"Necromancer? I don't know. I guess you're born with the ability. Necro Shade is going to let me stay here for a while. Mammoth may look mean, but he won't do anything unless I tell him to, so you don't need to be scared of him."

"I'm not scared of him. I'm just surprised. I can hardly believe that you created this thing."

"Well Twilight, you and Pinkie are both going to become sages, so you'll be seeing a lot of things that you won't believe at first."

"You're right, I guess?"

(Necro Shade) I was going to explain more but I got distracted by fireworks. They were followed by a voice that reminded me of someone but a voice that Twilight and Pinkie knew all to well.

"GAZE IN AW PONYVILLE, FOR ONCE AGAIN YOU ARE GRACED WITH PRESENCE OF THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!"

* * *

To be continued...


End file.
